Running Wild

presence to Seamus’s boss and colleagues. Trey pulled this super-secret agent shtick with references to CSIS that strangely enough they all bought, even if they regarded Seamus with a worried, curious air.
And Pete. He seemed to have disappeared into thin air. He didn’t arrive the first week to kidnap Seamus, nor the second, and as they headed into the third week, everyone began to wonder how sustainable this arrangement was. Surely Jonah and Trey wanted to go home.
But Trey refused to let go of the situation. He wanted Pete, that was plain as day. He considered Pete salvageable—he’d used that word once in conversation—and that eased something within Seamus. Although he was alarmed by the stalker presence Pete had created in his life—and the harm he’d done those other men—Seamus could not quite wish his ex dead. He’d been gentle and loving in bed, and the affection between them had been real. If based on some seriously disturbing events on Pete’s side, including the whole harmingSeamus’s-boyfriends activities he’d indulged in.
Seamus wanted this over and Pete out of his life.
Jonah and Ri got on each other’s nerves. Oh, they liked each other well enough, as things went. If anything, Ri was nervous about how handsome he found the man. Not that he wanted to fuck, he only wanted Seamus, but he’d gone from a dry, dry desert to camaraderie with more than one man, including men who liked men. It put Ri on edge.
So every other evening—it wasn’t as if Ri could hide his edginess and need for solitude from a fellow shifter—Jonah shifted and turned lynx, scoured the area for strangers while Ri held the fort at home. Ri did reconnaissance the other evenings.
He was washing the dishes when the door opened, and he turned in surprise, expecting Jonah back or Seamus home a day early.
A very naked Pete walked in, fresh from a shift.
Ri’s heart began to pound, and he almost dropped the dish before he placed it down. He couldn’t tell if his heart pounding meant his body wanted to run or fight, but he sure as hell wanted to do something. This man had fucked with his lover’s life in a way that was unforgiveable.
Pete was the larger man and wolves were strong. But wolves tended to underestimate horses in a fight, and Pete had his own moves. He squared up. “What did you do to Jonah?”
“Avoided him,” Pete said flatly. “You think I’m going to kill him?”
“I have no fucking idea what you’re going to do.”
Pete smiled, no humor in it. “Crazed murderers. They can do anything.”
“I don’t think you’re crazed,” Ri said, hoping it was true. As far as he was concerned that pack had deserved to die. “Just obsessed. There’s a difference.”
“I’m neither. I’m a wolf with a mate, and I’m here to make a bargain with you. Then I’ll leave.”
Ri didn’t want to be talking to this man. He wanted Pete gone. He wished Trey would materialize in this house to take Pete away, but it was a Thursday, and Trey was in the city with Seamus.
Focus, Ri. On the man who likes to harm any love interest of Seamus. That would be you.
He managed to ask, “What kind of bargain is that?”
“Convince Seamus you don’t want to see him anymore.”
Not going to happen . Ri kept his face blank.
“And I’ll tell you if Zach lived or died that night he disappeared.”
It was like a body blow, hearing those words, and Pete found it hard to breathe. He hunched over, trying to protect something so precious, so meaningful—Zach’s fate. Pete was trying to turn that knowledge into a bargaining chip. There was a part of Ri that wanted to say yes, that wanted to know with a desperation he couldn’t describe.
He met Pete’s gaze, not sure what to expect. Triumph of a kind? Satisfaction? But the wolf looked rather sick. Strangely enough, that expression gave Ri hope. Pete was not enjoying this. Pete was not like those other wolves who’d enjoyed toying with people they planned to harm.
Ri licked his lips, swallowed. “I want you to understand something. If I did convince Seamus we were through, he would never go back to you.”
“You can’t know that. Seamus loved me.” Pete’s voice was low, rough. “Besides, I am very patient.”
Ri wasn’t sure which path to take. He had to keep Pete here, but he didn’t want to unhinge him. Softly he said, “He knows you harmed his other boyfriends, Pete.”
Pete blinked, going still, looking as if he’d been caught out. “I was careful. I was careful